Rudd Calls For Nuclear Disarmament

I use to really dislike, scratch that, hate Krudd, but know, I just think of him as a poor naive little fool. Just look at his latest announcement, ‘Rudd Calls for Nuclear Disarmament’, I mean what world is he living in? Nuclear disarmament didn’t solve anything, it certainly didn’t solve the Cold War. Unless he mean forcibly taking off nukes off everybody that is to juvenile to use it, *cough* Iran, North Korea and Pakistan *cough*. Then I completely disagree with his statement. One of the key reasons that Israel exists amid a sea of enemies and still survives (besides it wonderful army) is undoubtedly due to its nukes.

“In this 21st century that we, the people of the Asian-Pacific region, should resolve afresh to make the Asia-Pacific century a century of peace and that the world at large should aspire now for a world free of nuclear weapons.”

Anyway, its not like anyone will be taking his suggestion seriously, he has just made himself out to look like an idealistic idiot.

The Syria-Israeli Peace Process

A few days ago I mentioned that I talked with Mr Dor Shapira about the chances of peace between Israel and Syria in regards to Israel returning the Golan Heights. I also linked you to this article which summed up the peace talks in a couple of sentences:

Cynics might also suggest that Israel’s beleaguered prime minister, Ehud Olmert, is using talks with Syria as a diversion from his troubles with the police in connection with allegations of corruption and money laundering.

A new peace process could divert international attention and persuade the major powers that making peace is more important than bringing Hariri’s killers to justice [Syria].

Now I’ve just looked at another article which confirms what I quoted above and also gives a few new interesting angles. It should be obvious now that even though Assad and Olmert are trying to get some sort of ‘peace’ and use it for their own political advantage its not going to happen as there are just to many factors that are coming into play.

First, not many people both in Israel and in the international community believe that Syria will actually honor any sort of agreement with Israel. Why should they? Most of their support comes from Iran which is absolutely committed to Israel’s destruction. Syria is Shiite, while most of the Middle East is Sunni, who else would they turn to if they isolate themselves from Iran, which is what Israel is asking for.

Second:

Assad reminds Israelis far more of Arafat than of Sadat. So far, Assad has refused even to hold direct negotiations with Israel, preferring Turkish interlocutors. Give me the Golan, he is in effect saying, and then we’ll see what kind of peace develops between us.

Not only is this guaranteed to have no positive outcome of the negotiations, it doesn’t take into account the fact that a lot of Israelis actually like the Golan with its natural beauty far more then they like the urban wasteland that is Gaza or the vast deserts of the Sinai.

View of the Golan Heights

Of coarse the most pressing issue of giving back the Golan Heights is the military strategic value that they hold. If Israel has no guarantee that Syria won’t break its links with terrorists, who says they won’t go back to their old game of shooting at Israeli civilians and soldiers alike from the Heights?

View of Syria from an Israeli Bunker

The article summarizes the situation quite nicely which shows just how correct the quote at the top is.

Israel’s Olmert hopes that peace negotiations will deflect attention from his own woes — allegations of corruption dating in part from his days as Jerusalem’s mayor. Other Israelis, though, are wondering how helping Assad destroy Lebanon and escape justice can possibly be confused for Israel’s national interest, let alone for a peace process.

Talk With Spokesperson For The Israeli Embassy In Australia

So sorry about the large gap between posts, I have been very busy with work and the like. I have another big load of work coming up in the next few weeks so regular posting won’t be back for a while yet, here’s a few tasters just to let you know that I’ve not given up on this blog. Anyway, two really nice articles from FrontPage.

1. Iraq Rising
   
2. Behind the Israel-Syria Talks

Just to let you know, last Wednesday (May 21), I heard Mr Dor Shapira, spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Canberra discuss the future of Israel for the next 60 years. I didn’t really learn that much primary because he went into the history of Israel, of which I am quite versed. Interestingly, one the questions asked was (paraphrasing here), what sort of contingency plan is there if talks with Fatah don’t work out (or Fatah is taken over by Hamas)? Mr Shapira didn’t really have an answer for it. He went on about trying to keep Fatah going but eventually admitted that Israel would be in ‘deep shit’ if that happened. I myself asked the question what sort of chance is there for Israel and Syria making peace? The answer that I got was its not likely that peace would achieved, it is doubtful that Syria would want to cut its relations with Iran and all the other terrorist groups. He also mentioned that it was a kind of cycle, every three years or so there would be talks but no real action.

That’s pretty much all the exciting things that have happened to me this week, yay… Once again hopefully I will have some more posts for you all.

Daily Kos Hits Earth’s Core, Digs

Sorry guys for the large break. I’ve had a lot of work to get through, but know the worst is over, yay! Israel has made it to her 60th birthday which is something to celebrate, even if there those who can’t appreciate it, here and here, hat tip to LGF.

My favourite of these links is the Daily Kos one, just read this and laugh.

It thus emerged as a major power and a formidable challenger of existing Arabic powers that will decide the fate of the world, coordinated assassination of President Kennedy which unnaturally led to the hasty re-evaluation of American foreign policy for adjustion that align with the interests of Israeli state for total compatibility in irreversibly entangled alliance.

Happy Pesach and Chag Sameach!

Just wishing everybody a happy Pesach and Chag Sameach! I am definitely looking forward to this Pesach as my mother will be making her trademark (and best) chocolate Matza’s as well as this, the Seder which I will be going to will have around 40 people! Before I leave, here’s the link for Michael Totten’s new post about the tribes in Iraq and how the Marines are trying to use them to contain a sustainable democracy.

Captain Quintin Jones and Mayor Abu Abdullah

Also I leave you with another link to an article written by Margot Dudkevitch from Infolive.tv about the amount of weapons that are being smuggled into the Gaza Strip through the most interesting ways.

In recent months,  Iran has increased its efforts to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip via the sea and also tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, sending the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups there not only weapons and rifles but advanced Iranian made rockets and mortar shells.

…

A report in the Jerusalem Post says that many of the weapons are too big to smuggle through the tunnels built underneath the Philadelphi Corridor linking Egypt and the Gaza Strip, and therefore resort to dropping them off the waters in Gaza in waterproof sealed tubes.

Rest In Peace William Buckley Jr./Israel Prepares For Incursion Into Gaza

Sorry about the lack of posts. I have been attending O-Week for my university (which I start this Monday). Anyway, first things first, RIP William F. Buckley, Jr. If you don’t know who that is, then check out the FrontPage article here.

In other doings:

9 Katyusha style Grad missiles rocked the center of Ashkelon on Thursday afternoon, one home suffered a direct hit, other missiles fell near the city’s central bus station and elsewhere in the city. Magen David Adom reported that two people were lightly wounded in the attack and 24 others were treated for shock. All in all MADA have treated a total of 55 people in Ashkelon and Sderot since the morning. On Thursday evening Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the authorities to activate the Red Color alert early warning system in Ashkelon which will be operational on Friday. Close to 80 Kassam rockets and missiles have been fired at southern Israel in the past 24 hours and nearly 1000 since the beginning of the year.

In any other part of the world, that would be considered an act of war. Instead with Israel, a lot of the world including the EU still sympathise with the Palestinians.

On Thursday, the air force launched 21 air strikes targeting terorr operatives, headquarters and Kassam rocket launchers in the Gaza Strip, and since Wednesday evening, 27 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip. Government ministers demanded to convene a security cabinet meeting to discuss the situation. Earlier in the day several ministers demanded to retaliate harshly, flattening neighborhoods in Gaza in response to the escalation.

Interior Minister MK Sheetrit has stated on Infolive.tv that “A large scale ground operation in Gaza would not be enough to stop Hamas from firing rockets.” Instead “Israel should kill any member of Hamas it can, anyone involved in launching rockets is responsible and should be taken out.”

Strangely enough I remember arguing from this perspective a few months ago to someone at a party. I was told that I was an advocate of genocide. I said thank you, yes I am in favour of a deliberate and systematic destruction of an entire people who belong to a certain political/religious group that yearns for my destruction. Somehow I don’t think that was what he was getting at… Furthermore, an IDF Army General has stated that “…any action in Gaza is long overdue and that Israel should have taken care of this situation months ago.” (Statement from Infolive.tv - link above)

Of course its no surprise to anyone that Israel has been planning such an offensive into the Gaza Strip; it makes sense both politically and morally. The Jerusalem Post has more:

Barak, during a series of meetings at the Defense Ministry, said, “We should be prepared for an upswing in hostilities in Gaza. The big ground operation is a reality and it is tangible. We are not eager to embark upon such an operation, but we are not put off by it either.”

According to defense sources, the goals of such an operation - reportedly in the planning stages for weeks if not months - would not “merely” be to reduce the threat of rocket fire and rocket manufacturing in the Gaza Strip, but would also likely entail paralyzing the Hamas government’s ability to operate, and even include “regime change.”

The important part of that paragraph is at the end. Let me make this point clear, for me, the only thing that can definitely stop these rocket attacks from Gaza would be a regime change. A change to a government far more liberal then anything like Fatah. A government which is not guided by terror but instead by a will for peace. Fine words you might be saying, tell us how. To me, the only way to do it, would be for educators, either Israeli or neutral to go there and educate Palestinian children and adults on ‘acceptable’ (I leave it to your imagination what that means because I am not sure) behavior and attitudes. For example things like it is wrong to call Jews the sons of pigs and apes and other such rhetoric. Modifications to behavior for examples things like, it is not ok to go and blow yourself up inside a mall or a disco filled with people. You may not agree with what I say, but I firmly believe that is the only way we might see peace between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Of course, such an action would probably take generations.

…

Barak also offered hints as to his plans, telling local community leaders gathered at Sapir Academic College outside Sderot that “the solution to Kassams will be a lot quicker than many people think.” And the Foreign Ministry, in talking points sent to its representatives abroad, instructed them to say that when Israel left the Gaza Strip in 2005 it did so without the intention of ever returning, but that the continuation of terrorist attacks was likely to place the country in a position where it may have no other choice.

The ministry also instructed its representatives to reveal that the Grad missiles that were fired at Ashkelon on Thursday were smuggled through Sinai from Iran.

According to one diplomatic source, stressing the Iranian origin of the missiles showed the importance of aggressive action to stop the smuggling and isolate Hamas from Syria and Iran, which “directs the organization’s terrorist actions.”

“We have warned for a while about the arming of Hamas, and what is happening now is proof of this,” the official said.